The Changing Arena of Latin Jazz

Trumpet - When many people think of Latin Jazz, a salsa dance party comes to mind, with hot dance rhythms charging behind jazz harmonies and improvised solos. This is certainly taking care of of this style - musicians like Tito Puente, Mongo Santamaria, Cal Tjader, and Ray Barretto have gotten people around the dance floor for a long time with jazz and Cuban rhythms.

Dance rhythms certainly hold a place in modern Latin Jazz, but a growing number of artists have abandoned the oasis for several cultural and artistic influences. Nowadays, many Latin Jazz musicians integrate rhythmic traditions from a broader spectrum from the Caribbean and South usa, often blending cultural elements with modern jazz influences.

Herb Alpert - Traditional Afro-Peruvian rhythms have played a large part inside the growth of Latin Jazz, bringing rhythmic styles like the festejo and landó into the style also an even more guitar heavy approach. Guitarist Richie Zellon has combined these traditions with jazz harmonies extensively while trumpet player Gabriel Alegria has developed a distinctive approach with his Afro-Peruvian Sextet.

While stateside Latin Jazz always carried a Puerto Rican influence, it has only been recently that artists have put a distinct emphasis upon the thought of traditional rhythms like bomba and plena supporting jazz contexts. Trombonist Papo Vazquez provides his ferocious command of bebop over Puerto Rican rhythms while saxophonist Miguel Zenón has dived deep into plena and classic Puerto Rican songs being a foundation for jazz.

Argentina has long been recognized for it's passionate tango, and lots of musicians have found that music is really a natural fit for jazz. Bassist Pablo Aslan has generated a unique language for improvising around tango structures while pianist Pablo Ziegler has continued the job of influential composer Astor Piazzolla having a distinct jazz twist.

Listeners often take into account the lush bossa novas of Antonio Carlos Jobim when they look at the combination of Brazilian rhythms and jazz, but the style is continuing to grow into something much more dynamic. Pianist Jovino Santos Neto has generated upon his long tenure with composer Hermeto Pascoal and designed a highly creative repertoire of original Brazilian jazz while drummer Duduka Da Fonseca has blended the liberty behind a fresh York jazz sensibility with dynamic samba rhythms.

Grammy awards - The dance floor is obviously still an integral part of Latin Jazz - just listen to the music of Poncho Sanchez or Pete Escovedo for a healthy dose of danceable jazz. The style has certainly expanded artistically, reflecting an even more encompassing spectrum of Latin traditions and providing listeners a more diverse experience.